Rump Steak with Baby Leaf & Cherry Tomato Salad

My brothers are big fans of steak, and there were one too many times when I invited them over for one, only to overcook them due to my haphazard guesstimate methods. Plenty of beautifully marbled cuts have gone overcooked, chewy and just plain wasted.

I have shied away from steak for a bit since then, researching deeply into various methods, until I stumbled upon sous-vide. Sous-vide intensifies the flavour of beef and cooks it inside-out first, so all you need to do at the end is sear it on high heat to char the outside for a nice, brown crust. It's quite a time saver, especially if you're cooking for a crowd!

What to do

Once target temperature is reached, place rump steak in a resealable bag. Seal and submerge in the waterbath.

15 minutes before

Once the steak is cooked, pat it dry with kitchen towels and salt generously.

Heat butter in a heavy-based pan until near smoking, sear the steak on high heat for 20 seconds each side until brown. Remove and set aside.

For the gravy: dissolve butter in a pan, add the flour and mix thoroughly. Add the stock in little increments and stir well at each addition until smooth. Season to taste, then remove from heat. Strain the gravy and set aside.

Place salad leaves and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over them and gently mix well to coat the leaves.

Warm the plates for a few minutes in a microwave in preparation for plating.

To plate

Slice the steak across the grain into smaller pieces. Place some dressed salad on the top right corner of the plate with a portion of steak in the centre. Drizzle some warm gravy on the meat and serve immediately.

Notes & tips

Make sure your pan is heated with some butter until really hot and that the steak are salted right before a quick sear - you want a nice brown crust formed without overcooking your already perfect medium rare centre.